Saudi Arabia · Qibla direction
Qibla Direction in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
From Mecca, the qibla — the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah — bears 319° (NW) from true north, and the Kaaba lies about 5 km (3 miles) away along the great-circle path. The compass below shows that bearing on a fixed rose; the live tool follows your exact location.
Qibla compass for Mecca
Face NW — 319° clockwise from north
Distance to the Kaaba: 5 km / 3 miles
Static figure: the needle marks the qibla on a fixed rose. For a compass that rotates with your phone, use the live tool.
How this direction is calculated
The 319° (NW) figure is a great-circle bearing: the initial heading, measured clockwise from true north, of the shortest path over the Earth’s surface from Mecca (21.3891, 39.8579) to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). A magnetic compass does not point to true north — the angle between magnetic and true north, called magnetic declination, varies from place to place and drifts from year to year, so a raw compass reading can sit several degrees off. The live qibla tool compensates: it uses your device’s location and orientation sensors to apply the correction and point to the Kaaba from wherever you actually stand.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the qibla direction from Mecca?
From Mecca, the qibla bears 319° (NW) from true north — the great-circle direction to the Kaaba in Makkah, which lies about 5 km (3 miles) away.
Is that bearing from true north or magnetic north?
True north. A magnetic compass needle points to magnetic north, and the offset between the two — magnetic declination — varies by location and changes over the years, so a raw compass reading can be several degrees off. The live tool at /qibla/ compensates using your device’s sensors.
Does the qibla direction change over time in Mecca?
No. For a fixed location the bearing to the Kaaba never changes; it only changes when you move. The figure on this page is computed from Mecca’s city coordinates, so for a bearing precise to your room, use the live tool, which recalculates from your own position.
A qibla compass that knows where you are
Niyat’s live compass works from your exact location, compensates for magnetic declination, and works offline — plus prayer times, Quran, and daily duas.
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